Spotlight: Twitter Gets 'Fit'

What was life like, before the internet? To look up a piece of information we had to dig through our local libraries. Staying in touch meant letters, and phone calls, or packing up the car for a trip. Making friends was usually limited to activities around our locale.

Now, with the touch of a button it is all at our fingertips. We can shop, make friends, share pictures, join support groups, or even go to college--and never leave our house.

I only recently started using Twitter. Once I got passed the ‘new’ Twitter language where everyone uses strange #symbols to talk about specific #topics or @people, it was great fun. However, I soon realized that Twitter is not just used by geeks, gurus,  or tweens writing about every emotion they ever had. You could find specialized groups, planned ‘chats’—entire communities of people with like interests.

One such community I found was #fitblog, a group of Twittering endorphin addicts who enjoy blogging about their fitness journeys.

JimBo @goingfitness was kind enough to talk a bit about the group and his blog:www.goingfitness.com

How did you discover/get involved with #fitblog? 

"Before I started using twitter I was using Google's RSS reader and was following a girl named Lisa Eirene @ http://www.110pounds.com/. One day I finally tried out twitter and saw she mentioned #fitblog so I checked it out."

Why did you start blogging about fitness?

"I deal with tech stuff all day long and it helps to take my mind off work and also helps me to not get burned out on the tech stuff for my job. Plus I wanted to share my Triathlon and Ironman goals with other people and maybe help inspire some people to get outside and move a little. Especially us techno geek-a-zoids that sit on our arse's all day."

How many people would you say use  #fitblog?

"I'd say around 500 - 600 people use #fitblog with maybe 100 or so regulars based on the ones I've been to."

Talk a Little About #runchat:

"#runchat is a 2nd and 4th Sunday (8pm EST) twitter chat for runners. David from Lynchburg Virginia heads it up and info about his blog can be found here: http://www.goingfitness.com/fitnessblogs/runningbecause and his blog is located here: http://www.runningbecauseican.com/. #Runchat is really fun and he gets some big sponsors such as RoadID and EverStride. #runchat is pretty cool, plus you can get lots of help from other runners there."

"It's been really fun meeting people that are interested in the same thing. Twitter is really what makes all this happen."

At the time of this post, JimBo has approximately 244 followers, many of whom he met through #fitblog. His blog provides a wealth of nutritional information, personal stories and recommendations, as well as a substantial directory of other fitness blogs where you can browse, or submit your own.